India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury, the BCCI confirmed on Tuesday. The senior men’s team selection committee has named Harshit Rana as Bumrah’s replacement for the mega event starting February 19 in Pakistan.
The development is a major setback for India going into the Champions Trophy, which they have won twice in 2002 and 2013. Bumrah’s performances across formats since returning from his previous lengthy absence from back injury led to him being widely accepted as the best bowler in the world across formats. The 31-year-old was player of the tournament in India’s succesfull 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, taking 15 wickets at a ridiculous average of 8.26.
The selectors have also included Varun Chakaravarthy in the team. The ‘mystery’ spinner will replace Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was initially named in the provisional squad.
India will play all their matches of the tournament in Dubai under a hybrid model agreement.
Team: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Tag: Jasprit Bumrah
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Bumrah ruled out of Champions Trophy 2025, Harshit Rana named replacement
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Workhorse Jasprit Bumrah picks 13th 5-wicket haul after hardest toil in MCG Test
Melbourne (TIP)- Jasprit Bumrah delivered another bowling masterclass, securing his 13th five-wicket haul in Test cricket as India bowled out Australia for 228 on Day 5 of the Boxing Day Test at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Starting the day with the challenging task of breaking Australia’s stubborn resistance, Bumrah wasted no time. In just four deliveries, he dismissed Nathan Lyon, ending Australia’s second innings at 234. This left the hosts setting India a target of 340 runs for victory.
Bumrah returned with impressive figures of 5 for 57 from 24.4 overs, delivering an exhausting yet immensely rewarding performance. This effort marked a career-high workload, as he bowled an incredible 53.2 overs in the ongoing Boxing Day Test at the MCG, the most he has bowled in his career.
Bumrah’s dominance at the MCG is nothing short of phenomenal. With 24 wickets across six matches at a staggering average of 14.66 and a strike rate of 32.7, he has been the backbone of India’s success at the MCG. His latest five-wicket haul adds to a glittering resume that includes standout figures such as 6/33, 3/53, 4/56, 2/54, 4/99, and 5/57. This sustained brilliance not only underscores his mastery of the craft but also establishes him as one of the finest modern-day performers on cricket’s biggest stage.
Australia’s innings began without fireworks as debutant Sam Konstas (8) fell early to Bumrah. Marnus Labuschagne stood firm with a gritty 70, but his dismissal triggered a dramatic collapse. From a steady 80/2, Australia slumped to 91/6, undone by India’s relentless pace attack. Pat Cummins fought valiantly with a defiant 41, supported by a frustrating final-wicket stand between Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon, which extended Australia’s lead to over 325. However, Bumrah’s precision ensured there was no escape for Australia.
It has become crystal clear over the last few years that Jasprit Bumrah would end up as one of the best fast bowlers the game has ever seen. On Sunday, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he firmed up the general perception further with a tangible statistical milestone — the Indian pacer became the first bowler ever in Test cricket to claim 200 wickets at an average of under 20. He has picked up 200 Test scalps giving just 19.38 runs per wicket. If that doesn’t sound impressive enough, just look at the names that follow him on the list of fast bowlers having the lowest Test averages — the great Malcolm Marshall (20.94), Joel Garner (20.97) and Curtly Ambrose (20.99).
Ahead of the Australia series, Bumrah had done enough to establish himself as a modern day great. With his breathtaking performance in this series, he has taken giant strides towards cementing his place in the league of all-time great fast bowlers. Out of the total 56 Australian wickets that have fallen so far in four Test matches, Bumrah has picked up 29, more than 50 per cent, at a strike rate of 29.10 and an average of 13.24. Bumrah has single-handedly kept India alive in the series, as far as bowling is concerned. -
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Bumrah gets fifer as Australia bowled out for 104
Perth (TIP)- India captain Jasprit Bumrah deservedly got his 11th five-wicket haul while debutant Harshit Rana bowled a fiery opening spell as Australia were bowled out for 104 at the stroke of lunch despite a stiff last-wicket resistance from Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood on the second day of the opening Test here on Saturday, November 23.
The Indian team would be a touch disappointed that they couldn’t get a handy lead, which seemed to be on the cards once Australia were reduced to 79 for 9. But Starc (26 off 113 balls) shielded Hazlewood (7 not out off 31 balls) admirably during their 25-run last-wicket stand that lasted 18 overs and got the lead below 50 (46 runs), making it a contest of who bats better in the second innings.
The day began on a bright note as Bumrah (5/30 in 18 overs), bowling the second over of the day, got one to rear up from back of the length and Carey’s edge carried at a good height to Rishabh Pant behind stumps.
The skipper’s celebration was understated as he purposefully strode back to his bowling mark even before Nathan Lyon had arrived.
At the other end, Bumrah started the day with burly Harshit Rana (3/48 in 15.2 overs) carrying on from where he had left off on the opening day.
Unlike on the opening day, the rookie speedster used more short balls, and one such well-directed delivery accounted for Lyon, who was pouched at gully by KL Rahul.
With 71 runs behind India’s first-innings score of 150, one had expected the visitors to get rid of the last pair. But the short-ball tactic didn’t work well against Starc, who chuckled while reminding his former KKR teammate, “I have a long memory Harshit”.
Starc showed good defensive qualities before taking his chances now and then with some aerial hits. Harshit was replaced with Nitish Reddy for three overs but, with the ball being 40-plus overs old and the seam suppressed, there was not much incisiveness to his wicket-to-wicket bowling.
Finally, Harshit, coming for his second spell of the day, had Starc trying to slog and the skier was taken by Pant. Source: PTI -
Ashwin rises to 2nd spot in ICC Test bowlers’ rankings
Ashwin rises to 2nd spot in ICC Test bowlers’ rankings
Dubai (TIP)- India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Wednesday, February 15, jumped to the second spot in the ICC Men’s Test Bowlers Rankings following his eight-wicket show against Australia in the opening Test in Nagpur.
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who made a successful comeback after almost five months due to a knee injury, has moved up to the 16th position, courtesy his player-of-the-match winning effort in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series-opener.
The spin duo haunted Australia in the first Test by sharing 15 wickets between them as India won by an innings and 132 runs inside three days. Ashwin ensured India wrapped up a stunning victory before tea on the third day, as the veteran off-spinner took 5/37 in the second innings to go with 3/42 earlier in the match. The 36-year-old is 21 rating points behind Australia captain Pat Cummins and is in contention to return to the No 1 ranking for the first time since 2017. While Ashwin stepped up in what turned out to be the last session of the Test, Jadeja did the damage on the first day with 5/47, including the prized wickets of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.
Jadeja then took 2/34 in the second Australian innings. Australia were bowled out for just 91.
Among other Indian bowlers, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who too has been out of action since September last due to a lower back stress fracture, is placed fifth.
In the Test batting chart, India captain Rohit Sharma has been rewarded for his match-defining ton in Nagpur. He gained two spots to be at number eight. Rohit came to the crease after Australia were all out for 177 in their first innings, then made the wicket look all-but tame with an assured 120 that set the tone for the rest of the match.
Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant, who will be out of action for an indefinite period following his horrific car accident, is the other Indian batter in top 10. He is placed seventh. In contrast, Australian openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja have paid the price for being dismissed cheaply twice.
Warner has fallen six places to 20th after his scores of 1 and 10, while Khawaja has dropped two spots to 10th after making only 1 and 5 in the first Test.Australian duo of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith occupy the top two positions with Pakistan captain Babar Azam in the third spot. India all-rounder Axar Patel has leaped six places to seventh in Test all-rounder rankings after coming to the crease at a tense 240 for 7. He hit a patient 84 for his highest score in the format. -
Bumrah to lead India in Edgbaston Test; Rohit ruled out
Birmingham (TIP)- Jasprit Bumrah will be captaining India in the Edgbaston Test against England, the BCCI confirmed on Thursday (June 30). Regular captain Rohit Sharma, who was a doubtful starter, underwent a RAT Test on Thursday morning and returned a positive result for Covid-19 and has been ruled out of the vital clash as a result.
Bumrah was the frontrunner to lead the national side in the postponed Test match from the moment Rohit got sidelined due to Covid-19, as reported earlier. A vice-captain wasn’t named for the tour by the selectors ever since KL Rahul was ruled out.
Even though the chances of Rohit making it to the game appeared to be slim with the 35-year-old running out of time, the management was willing to wait until the end to see if he returns a negative test result a day before the game. With the opener not recovering, Bumrah will now become the first pacer after Kapil Dev to lead India in a Test match.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who led India in the recently-concluded T20I series at home against South Africa, has been named Bumrah’s deputy. India also will have to take a call on their opening combination now that Rohit has been ruled out. With both the regular openers now ruled out, Shubman Gill is likely to slot in as one of the openers. Mayank Agarwal was recently drafted into the squad and Cheteshwar Pujara stands a chance of returning to the XI as well. India are currently leading the series 2-1 after four Tests.
No experience
As he admitted himself, Bumrah has never captained a team at any level before. He may have experienced the burden of a nation while bowling in the death overs in ODIs and T20Is, but the scrutiny on him during the next five days will be magnified a thousand times. He will have to make decisions based upon not only his own skill set, but those of others as well. At his first press conference as skipper, Burmah spoke calmly and confidently. There was no hesitation and certainly plenty of self-belief. He almost gave the indication that for a captain, while seeking different opinions is fine, it is always best to trust your own gut feel. “I have spoken to Rohit and Virat about captaincy, but at the end of the day I have to back myself,” he stated.
One of the first decisions Bumrah will need to make is about India’s playing XI. The sight of Ravichandran Ashwin walking to the pitch with his pads on after a net session showcased the off-spinner’s enthusiasm. Ashwin and the Indian coaching staff had a long chat with the chief curator about the pitch.
There is a theory in the Indian camp that with England batting so aggressively and taking a particular liking to pace bowlers, both Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja should feature in the playing XI. Burmah and Shami are the automatic picks as pacers, leaving Shardul Thakur and Mohammad Siraj to fight it out for the third pace bowling slot.
Pujara set to return
On the batting front, it seems Cheteshwar Pujara is certain to return to the playing XI at No. 3. Pujara spent plenty of time shadow-practising on the centre wicket yesterday and also had a modest hit-out in the nets today. With the practice session being optional, most of the frontline batsmen such as Kohli, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer opted against batting. The pitch has a brown tinge instead of the traditional green English look. There is bound to be a bit of rain on the first two days of the match, but it seems the pitch will be good for batting. Bumrah admitted India have largely decided on the playing XI, but it would only be revealed on the morning of the match. The playing XI along with the decision at the toss will be the first things Bumrah must get right in his first foray into captaincy.
Source: Cricbuzz and TNS
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Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah among Wisden’s 5 cricketers of the year
India captain Rohit Sharma and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah have been named among five players in Wisden’s ‘Cricketers of the Year’ in the 2022 edition of the Almanack. Besides the duo, the list also features New Zealand batter Devon Conway, England pacer Ollie Robinson and Proteas women star Dane van Niekerk.
England’s Joe Root has been named leading cricketer in the world, while South African women’s team batter Lizelle Lee has been awarded the title of leading woman cricketer.
Besides, Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has earned the title of leading T20 cricketer in the world.
Bumrah starred for India in their visit to England last summer. Besides his exploits in India’s historic win at Lord’s, he also produced a match-winning spell at The Oval with the latter handing India a 2-1 lead in the series that is to be concluded in July this year. Rohit had an exceptional summer at the top of the order for India, scoring 368 runs in four Tests at an average of 52.57. The India skipper scored a match defining 127 at The Oval, his first Test century away from home. Root was named leading cricketer of the year after an historic 12 months in which he scored 1,708 Test runs in a calendar year, the third most in history. Lee was named leading woman cricketer in the world after a dominant 2021, averaging 90.28 with the bat in ODI cricket, including a spectacular series against India in which she scored 288 runs in four innings. Rizwan’s T20 recognition came after a record breaking 2021 in which he scored 1,329 runs at 72.88 in 27 T20s that included a century and 11 fifties. By passing 1,000 runs in a calendar year, he also became the first cricketer in the international game to achieve the feat.
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Bumrah breaks into top 5, Kohli slips to 9th in ICC Test rankings
Dubai (TIP)-Fresh from his maiden Test five-wicket haul at home, Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah jumped six spots to fourth but struggling star batter Virat Kohli slipped to ninth in the latest ICC rankings released on Wednesday, March 16. Bumrah, who returned with eight wickets in the Day/Night second Test against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru, climbed past Shaheen Afridi, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, James Anderson, Neil Wagner and Josh Hazlewood in the Test rankings for bowlers.
Former captain Kohli, who continued his struggle with the bat and could not convert his starts, dropped four places, but managed to remain inside the top-10 just ahead of Rishabh Pant who remained static at 10th.
Kohli scored 45 in the opening Test in Mohali, while in the second Test he had scores of 23 and 13. He is yet to score a century since his 136 against Bangladesh in November 2019.
India skipper Rohit Sharma, however, held on to his sixth position to be the best-placed Indian in the batting charts.
The in-form Shreyas Iyer was rewarded for his match-winning 92 and 67 against Sri Lanka as he took a giant leap, advancing 40 spots to be on 37th position in the batting chart. Sri Lanka Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne jumped up to a career best No. 3 after his fighting 107 in the second innings in Bangalore. In the all-rounders’ table, Ravindra Jadeja was displaced from the No.1 position as West Indies’ Jason Holder reclaimed the top spot.
Jadeja had risen to No. 1 after his 175 not out and nine wickets in the Mohali Test earlier this month.
Ravichandran Ashwin, Shakib Al Hasan and Ben Stokes rounded off the top five in the all-rounders’ list.
In the bowlers’ ranking, Mohammed Shami climbed up a spot to displace fellow countryman Ravindra Jadeja to 17th. Pat Cummins, Ashwin and Kagiso Rabada have retained the top three spots among the bowlers.
Source: PTI
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ICC Test Rankings; Kohli down to fifth as Root moves up to third after Chennai double century
Dubai (TIP): India skipper Virat Kohli was on Wednesday, February 10, pushed to the fifth spot by his English counterpart Joe Root, who rose two rungs to third in the latest ICC Test rankings for batsmen, even as Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin moved up in the bowlers’ chart. Kohli, who had scores of 11 and 72 in the opening Test against England, has 852 points and down one spot in the latest chart issued on Wednesday.
Veteran spinner Ashwin and pacer Bumrah have jumped a rung each to be seventh and eighth respectively.
Root, who helped his team to a memorable 227-run victory in Chennai that kept England in contention for the ICC World Test Championship final, has reached 883 rating points.
It is his highest position since September2017 after a fabulous run in the sub-continent saw him accumulate 684 runs in three Tests, two of which were in Sri Lanka.
Ahead of Kohli for the first time since November 2017, Root is now 36 points behind top-ranked Kane Williamson and trails Steve Smith by only eight points. With Marnus Labuschagne also in the mix, competition for the top five slots is intense with all of them above 850 rating points.
For India, Rishabh Pant’s knock of 91 in the first innings has helped him become the first full-time wicketkeeper from his country to reach 700 rating points as he retained the 13th position among batsmen.
Opener Shubman Gill progressed seven places to 40th position while all-rounder Washington Sundar is 81st after moving up two slots. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem too has gained two places to reach 85th position among bowlers.
Opener Dom Sibley is another England batsman to gain in the latest rankings update, his knocks of 87 and 16 helping him rise 11 places to 35th, while their players also made the way up in the bowling rankings presently led by Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins.
Formerly top-ranked James Anderson is up to third from sixth and only four points behind compatriot Stuart Broad, a fellow-member of the 500-wicket club.
Anderson is at his highest ranking since the start of the ICC World Test Championship while spinners Jack Leach and Dominic Bess are both at career-best rating points, moving up to 37th and 41st positions, respectively.
West Indies batsman Kyle Mayers, whose scores of 40 and 210 not out helped script an epic win in the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong, has entered the rankings in 70th position with 448 rating points.
It is the best by a West Indian batsman on debut and the second-best ever on debut after RE Foster, who was on 449 rating points back in 1903 after scoring 287 on debut for England against Australia in Sydney.
Others to gain for the West Indies include captain Kraigg Brathwaite (up eight places to 53rd) among batsmen and the spin pair of Jomel Warrican (up 14 places to 62nd) and Rahkeem Cornwall (up six places to 65th).
For Bangladesh, captain Mominul Haque’s 10th Test century has lifted him eight places to 33rd. All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has gained four slots to reach 30th position among batsmen while off-spinner Mehidy Hasan has progressed from 28th to 24th position.
Pakistan completing a 2-0 sweep over South Africa is followed with good news from the rankings perspective as well, especially with regard to fast bowling.
Player of the series Mohammad Rizwan has attained a career-best 16th place after scores of 26 and 115 helped him make a leap of 19 places in the list.
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India breach Aussie fortress to win series 2-1 and rewrite history
Brisbane (TIP): An Indian cricket team saddled with broken bones and battered bodies showed a never-seen-before zeal to retain the coveted Border-Gavaskar trophy with a historic three-wicket win over Australia in the fourth and final Test in Brisbane, successfully chasing a 328-run target to seal the four-match series 2-1. A minefield of talent called Rishabh Pant (89 not out off 138 balls) channelled his inner ‘Mad Max’ to scare the daylights out of the Australians with his breathtaking strokeplay, ending the home team’s 32-year-old unbeaten run at the ‘Fortress Gabba’. The result has the potential to end Tim Paine’s reign as Australia captain having lost back-to-back home series against India. The highlights package of Pant’s battle with Nathan Lyon can be enjoyed repeatedly in times to come as he demolished the 100-Test man in company of debutant Washington Sundar (22), who hooked the world’s best fast bowler, Pat Cummins, for a six. No one moved from their seats as Pant cut, drove, and paddle-swept to make a statement to his detractors while gifting India one of their finest overseas wins during the dying moments of the final session with an off-driven boundary.
While Shubman Gill (91 off 146 balls) announced his arrival on the global stage, Cheteshwar Pujara (56 off 211 balls) surpassed all the pain barriers en route his slowest Test fifty that held the game in balance for Pant to launch a final assault. The Australian team wouldn’t feel too good about not being able to win a Test match with an opposition that was finding it difficult to field a fit first XI a day prior to the Test match.
The series will be remembered for ages and the impact that Ajinkya Rahane’s team had on the cricketing fraternity and the fans in general will be written in golden words when a fresh history of Test cricket after 2000 is written. In terms of relevance, a series win without Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah not being available at various points, is zillion times more significant than the 2-1 win in 2018-19 when the opposition didn’t have Steve Smith and David Warner in its ranks.
First time, people celebrated draws, became empathetic to players with limited abilities and believed in their team. The stands were near-about empty at the Gabba thanks to the COVID-19 crowd restrictions but make no mistake that Test cricket seemed well and truly alive and kicking.
With its beautiful ebbs and flows, the fifth day was witness to three separate schools of batsmanship, so very dissimilar to each other.
Gill, who is now going to be the “Real Deal”, was free-flowing in his stroke-making with his “beside the line of the ball” technique as he rode the bounce to hammer home the advantage and briefly make India favourites to win the battle. The two sixes off Mitchell Starc — a slash over backward point and a thump over deep mid-wicket — will be the ones for the keeps. The disdain while thrashing the Australian bowlers would have made even Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli proud. India have now got Kohli’s heir apparent and the 21-year-old is here to stay for the longest time. Pujara, on the other hand, saw the Australian try out the menacing short ball tactic. He took a few on the helmet, a few more on the chest and other parts and a painful one on the knuckles but remained unfazed. Gill and Pujara showed that there are multiple ways to skin a cat.
If Pujara was ready to duck, sway and cop body blows off Josh Hazlewood and Cummins, showing the art of survival, Gill, on his first tour of Australia, was ready to be the intimidator by bringing the pull shot out of his repertoire. The duo, during its 114-run stand, showed that very contrasting styles can co-exist without conflict even as fans of both genres argue who has the more appropriate approach for the format. Even Pant with his cavalier ways would have added his two cents to the debate on various styles.
While the final day performance is sure to hold a special place but the story of this match won’t be complete without a more than honourable mention of what Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar did on the third morning and afternoon.Had that partnership not been there, it wouldn’t have been as easy for India as it seemed in the end. Thakur and Washington gave hope of a fight, Pujara, Gill and Pant, with their performances, honoured that fight. Coach Ravi Shastri was once criticised for his “best travelling Indian team” comment but after January 19, very few would disagree that this is the “toughest Indian team on road”.
Source: PTI